Is anyone else's midwife a bit....um, dim?

[PregnantGrrrl]

Noticed in my notes yesterday that midwife has written i'm going to Birthing Centre for birth. Rang her yesterday to say we hadn't actually discussed this and i wanted a home birth. Oh, she said, you said before you wanted the birthing centre, but we can change it, no problem.(I didn't) We'll talk about it at your 28wk appointment she says (i am 30 wks and already had this appointment). I pointed this out, and she said 'oh'. I'll ring you tomorrow and come and see you then.

She looked after me when i had DS last year aswell, and she's very nice, but always looks lost / dreamy / grinning. If she delivers the baby, am i really meant to have faith in her?!

[dal21]

I wouldnt worry too much. My MW appears scatty and all over the place - and if i didnt know better, then I would have worried. But in terms of her MWifery skills - she is second to none and I wouldnt have more faith in anyone else. Because of those attributes - dreamy, grinning - I would say she is actually the perfect chilled person to have around during the delivery. The good things about people like that is that very little phases them.

[puppydavies]

i agree that admin/organisational skills have very little bearing on what makes for the right person to have with you during labour. and seeing the ridiculous amount of paperwork our lot had to fill in i wouldn't be surprised if they got confused occasionally.

[MrsBadger]

mine says I keep her on her toes
but then I do quiz her unfairly about % risk, stats on screening tests, blood results etc

I can see she'd be a fab peson to have about in labour, shame she only sees me at antenatal appts.

[GoingThroughChanges]

My mw used to sit & eat cheese & onion crisps & talk about her 7 sons & their girlfriends. But she was great!

I guess she may have got your name mixed up with someone else, or may have been discussing the birth centre with someone before you came in?

[Ceolas]

I'd agree that in 4 pregnancies, there are midwives who do appear dim but are fab at alloking after you in labour/post-birth.

[Ceolas]

em, looking after you...

[kyala]

She's been at the NO2 hasn't she?!!! LOL

Maybe she has a couple of things on her mind ATM.
Maybe she's pregnant?!!!
Maybe the baby brain thing is ACTUALLY catching!

Or maybe she's just one of those people who are a bit dithery, I'm sure she's capable of delivering the baby though, and if it's a home birth you should have 2 MW's there to deliver, I did and they were amazing (one had actually just finished her shift at the hospital but wanted to be part of my baby's birth, bless her! Wish I had the same MW's this time round )

If you have serious doubts just get another one, I did this time round!

[PregnantGrrrl]

well she hasn't called, she's obviously forgotten. bless her, she's lovely, but i have to prompt her and question her all the blinking time.

[orangecat]

Hmmm yes, we have one of those too. Has difficulty filling in the forms and, to be frank, has an air of being at the sherry most of the time.

The other MWs in the area are absolutely fab. Not sure how home birth thing works, but I suspect it is not the done thing to request specific midwives?! I have to say, if she turned up at my door, I'd be straight in the car to the hospital!

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

My first was hopeless - sent my notes to the wrong hospital, made me an appointment with a consultant by mistake so I turned up and she said 'I don't know why your midwife's sent you', etc etc.
Then I moved to a different area and got a very sharp, bright, on-the-ball one who I really liked.....
.....and who picked up on all sorts of things that might possibly have been wrong which the vague midwife had missed, so I spent the last 3 weeks of the pregnancy in and out of hospital for emergency scans and monitorings and of course everything was fine in the end.

Probably better safe than sorry, though, really.

[LolaLadybird]

Mine definitely has a slightly vacant air about her and her answers to questions aren't all they could be (I just read a lot instead).

With DD she didn't notice that she was breech which resulted in an emergency c-section and she did have the grace to look v guilty/sheepish when I then saw her after the birth.

This time round, I'm much more assertive which helps I think. Having said that, at my last antenatal check she took my blood pressure twice. When I pointed out she'd already done it once she admitted that she'd forgotten what the reading was and had to do it again!

Still, I just see for the antenatal appts and not for the birth so there's the consolation. The midwives I had in hospital with DD were brilliant.

[bluebell82]

I wouldn't say dim.. more like horrible cow bag who shows no sympathy and speaks to me like a naughty child..